Dodge Challenger Showdown: Hellcat vs Demon

Dodge has been dominating the drag strips recently with its madly overpowered Challenger coupes. Few sane shoppers would want much more accelerative force than is available from the very capable 485-hp 6.4-liter V8 found in its mid-range Challengers and yet there are still two even more powerful models on offer. , it packs a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 which means 707-hp and frequent visits to gas stations and tire shops. Dodge themselves claim a quarter mile time of 11.2 seconds, that is simply ballistic performance, especially considering the $67,000 asking price.

But wait, there’s more, as your favorite late-night TV salesman would say, much more as it turns out. If you must have the ultimate Challenger then it will have to be the SRT Demon, this wheelie pulling monster has 808-hp under its bulging hood and with it the claim that it is the fastest mass production car to 60-mph (2.3-seconds) as well as over the quarter mile.

But at $86,000 it is a fair chink more over the still. Which begs the question, how much more speed do you actually get for your additional $19,000? Two curious drag racers decided to find out and pitted their Demon and Hellcat against each other. Clearly the car with 101-hp more won the race but the Hellcat was not totally embarrassed, the final times showed a difference of 1.02-seconds between the two cars (quite a decent margin) and a 9.62-mph speed difference. That makes this particular Hellcat a bit of an overachiever, slightly bettering its officially quoted quarter mile time.

Perhaps if the Demon had pulled one of those infamous wheelies the gap would have been larger. Nevertheless, whether it is an inch or a mile, a win is a win. would be proud.